Former Super Eagles defender Brown Ideye has admitted to the slim chances of Nigeria qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ideye, 36, was part of the historic Super Eagles team that won Nigeria's last Africa Cup of Nations title in South Africa in 2013.

Speaking on Nigeria’s prospects of securing a World Cup ticket, the former West Brom star believes the three-time African champions are most likely going to miss out for a second consecutive time.

“With the present form, I don’t think we are going to qualify—unless, and maybe, if something changes,” Ideye said in an interview with Official54xNo.

“That’s because we always forget to do our job at the right time. We then look for someone else to clean up our mess for us. Why do we keep on doing this?”

“Why can’t we just win our games and let other people do the counting, the calculations, and the maths? Why do we keep on doing it the hard way?

“We started very, very badly again. It’s very, very bad for a country that has 200 million-plus people. Every time the national team is playing, people leave their jobs, close their shops, and put aside everything.”

“Right now, a lot of people have given up on this team. A lot of people don’t believe in them anymore.

“Even if they eventually qualify for the World Cup, they will have to reach a great stage for people to start believing in them again—maybe like getting to the semi-finals, which we have never, never reached,” the ex-Dynamo Kyiv man concluded.

The Super Eagles have won just one of their six qualifying games and sit fourth in Group C.

Eric Chelle’s side must win their remaining four fixtures to stand any chance of qualifying for the Mundial.

WDN